‘Every child is an artist. The problem is to remain an artist once they grow up.’

- Pablo Picasso

Intent

The art and design curriculum at Runnymede St Edward's Catholic Primary School seeks to inspire, engage and challenge pupils by equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment and create their own works of art. As they progress through the school, they will develop a deeper understanding of art and design, exploring the impact it has on contemporary life and that of different times and cultures.

Our curriculum is designed to help pupils learn the whole story of art, or rather ‘art beyond the procedural’. In order to achieve this, we employ a variety of teaching strategies. These include:

• the use of a pupil sketchbook (which accompanies pupils during their time at our school)
• the promotion of incidental art opportunities 
• a local artist working alongside pupils and teachers

In addition, art and design also has a significant and valuable role to play in the overall ethos of our school. Incorporating art into the wider curriculum is intrinsic to teaching at Runnymede St Edward's. Our Young Edwardians are ‘encouraged to use their talents to the full’,  we pride ourselves on using the work of pupils to provide a vibrant and stimulating environment throughout the school.

Our vision is to ensure that all children not only develop their artistic techniques, but are also inspired and influenced through the study of art at Runnymede St Edward's. In working with a local artist, studying the works of famous artists and examining art from different cultures - we aim to provide our pupils with the essential knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in becoming well-rounded, informed citizens. 

Implementation

Art and design is a flourishing subject within our school. Our teaching and learning overtly promotes the subject, whilst valuing its unique contribution to pupils’ personal development and its impact on their wider achievement.

To improve their mastery of art and design techniques, pupils draw, paint and sculpt with a range of materials. We teach our pupils how to ‘look at art’ through Art Appreciation; something which we believe they will benefit from for life. It is our intention for any pupil to be able to walk into a museum or gallery and be able to appreciate and discuss the exhibits with confidence, knowledge and insight.

In our school, we place a huge emphasis on art within the school environment and celebrate pupil successes via headteacher/governors awards and a pupil art gallery. We also have a popular after-school ‘Art Club’

Impact

We use a number of ways to measure and assess the impact of our intent and implementation. This helps us refine and adapt our planning further which, in turn, improves the quality of teaching and learning:

• Through termly ‘sketchbook reviews’, we monitor the quality of artwork and the variety of techniques/skills used to ensure that there is clear progression and that pupils are becoming more independent and confident artists. 
• Termly pupil interviews are carried out by the Art Coordinator. Here children reflect on their lessons, talking us through the work in their sketchbook. This has proved invaluable in helping us to drive improvement and gain an insight into pupil attitude towards the subject. 
• During class discussions, pupils are encouraged to reflect critically (using the ‘language of art’), compare and contrast, justify etc. providing teachers with an insight into how children are progressing. Quizzes, based around our knowledge organisers, also help teachers to identify any possible misconceptions or revisit a particular area of learning.
• Children enjoy creating a final independent piece (drawing, painting or sculpting) which allows teachers to make a summative assessment.  We then reflect on what pupils learned or how well they were able to do what we set out to teach them. This constant process of questioning, reflection and measuring ensures the highest quality of teaching within our school.